KFC holding sensitivity training after incident with deaf woman

JACKSON, Miss. - The management company of 270 KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell franchises nationwide has agreed to provide sensitivity training at those outlets following a May incident at a KFC in Mississippi in which a deaf woman felt she was being mocked.

Disability Rights Mississippi, a nonprofit that advocates for people with disabilities, told the Clarion-Ledger that it reached an agreement on behalf of Bobbie Cole, of Byram, Mississippi, with Canada-based Franchise Management Inc., the company that operates the fast-food franchises.

Cole, who is deaf but can read lips, said KFC employees made fun of her while she tried to order food at a Jackson area drive-thru.

FMI spokesman Tyler Langdon said in an email to the newspaper that sensitivity training will be conducted at its restaurants.

Franchise Management is one of the largest Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell franchise operators in North America, according to the Clarion-Ledger.